Help us with our planning..

Whats your age group? -I'm 32.

Whats your favorite (Europe) country? -Being a German local I answer this survey for Germany

City within that country? -Berlin (most exciting, best nightlife), Hamburg (most romantic, most elegant), Munich (for all the romantic castles, lakes and mountains in the area)

What makes it stick out above all others? -There three are special and unique and since they all used to be in different kingdoms you can still see none is any like the other.

What country did you enjoy least? Why? -What US state did you enjoy least? Were all of its residents vampires or what? How can you ever ask such a question? Only your "President" Bush hates countries...

Favorite bar/pub/club? Berlin: The entire bar/nightlife area of Hackescher Markt; Hamburg: St. Pauli area; Munich: Wirtshaus in der Au

If you were to get married (again) where would it be? -St. Bartholomae on Lake Königsee in the Bavarian alps. http://www2.famille.ne.jp/~minowa/reso-a/mu.koenigsee.jpg

45 - 50,
Favorites - germany austria and switzerland
Bavaria / Salzburg, Rothenburg, Bacharach, Lauterbrunnen
The surrounding area is beautiful, love the music and sights.
Least favorite - Italy
Too many people in our faces constantly.
I don't get too much into night life...

the Berner oberland area is really our favorite place (not a city) - it's just indescribably beautiful!

Have fun!

I am middle aged now, but in 1985 did the travel Europe for months with a friend thing too.

Favorite countries, ( more then one as are all different) -France, Switzerland , and Greece.

Paris, Zermatt, and the islands of Mydonos and Paros( hated Athens)

Paris- History , Museums( I love them) and Cafes!
Zermatt - Heidi story book town , natural beauty, hiking trails, and I hiked the trail to the " hut" on the Matterhorn.
Greek Islands- Beaches during day, nightclubs at night, beautiful whitewashed towns and blue oceans.

Found Italy too hot(our own fault for going in late August early September ) and frankly quite dirty.

Bars on Greek islands were so fun,, beer gardens in Munich were fun, " coffee shops" in Amsterdam were interesting, LOL !!

We didn't do hostels, we stayed in small hotels.

Age 50 (Travelled Europe in my 30's)

Fav Country - Switzerland

City - Gimmelwald

Reason - Mountains/Ambiance

Least Fav Country - Each has own + and - no firm dislike

Hostel/Campsite - Balmers Interlaken, Mountain Hostel Gimmelwald (not the one in Grindelwald with same name)(note has changed since I was there, but I still see good things written about it)

Favorite bar(s) - Jo's bar in Prague, Staegerstubli in Murren, Walters in Gimmelwald

Married ?? Not me! If I had to pick a place, Tanzbodeli above Obersteinberg.

One Place, Gimmelwald.

Other comments - Don't plan. Don't force yourself into a timetable, just go with the people you meet, listen to other travellers while you travel, don't be afraid of being off the beaten track. Look into some of the former East block - Poland/Czech Republic/Slovak Republic. If I was travelling now, maybe Bulgaria/Slovenia.

My 10c

Thai,
-30 y/o

• Fav. country: Germany

• Fav city: Dinklesbuhl

• It's quaint and charming and really takes you back to a simpler time.

• Least: France (but I've only seen Alsace!!), I didn't enjoy the attitude of the people compared to Germany.

• Haven't camped/hosteled.

• Fav. bar/pub/club: I'm not really into that scene, I go more for the restaurant. That being said, there's a restaurant in Wutzburg on Maulhardgasse that is in Rick Steves' Germany guidebook that has the best wiener schnitzel I have ever had ... PERIOD!

• If I were to get married again it would be in front of a judge. I find wedding days to be a selfish edification of a person's need for attention.

• The Romantic Road in Germany is worth almost ever minute you spend on it.

Age: 39

Favorite country/city: Hmm. I'm going with Denmark & Copenhagen b/c I spent a semester there. Good place to walk, friendly locals, small country so it's easy to "do" properly compared to some of the larger countries.

I have to say, though, that I do adore Barcelona. We spent part of our honeymoon there and I always highly recommend it.

Least favorite: don't have one. If I'm not well-informed enough to have a "real" favorite, then I certainly am not informed enough to have a least favorite!

Hostel: Odense, Denmark

Favorite bar: ? We hung out at the Elephant & Mouse in Copenhagen, but there are plenty of good ones.

Where to get married if I was doing it over: I liked the way I did it the first time (on a sailboat in Annapolis) but I'd be fine with a sailboat or catamaran in Barcelona, too!

One thing/place/event above all others: Geez, I dunno. The sense of freedom in traveling like that, probably. Going to a train station w/ no fixed plan, no place I "had" to go! :)

Thai, the problem is that what might be the perfect little town to person A might not exactly be it to you. Is it going to be just the two of you or will you travel with family and friends? Accessibility might be a criteria then as well. I.e. the most romantic place close to an airport that offers cheap and reliable service to your home airport. Also a romantic Italian little town is completely different from a romantic Black Forrest town or a romantic little town in the Irish county of Kerry...

Whats your age group?
I am 34
Whats your favorite (Europe) country?
Austria
City within that country?
Salzburg
What makes it stick out above all others?
The lakes and natural beauty around there
What country did you enjoy least? Why?
Netherlands, Amsterdam was overhyped so very very busy and packed with tourists. We did love the smaller towns though.
What hostel/campsite was the best?
Can't help-- stayed in cheaper hotels which turned out to actually be cheaper (or only a bit more) in most cases since there were two of us.

If you were to get married (again) where would it be?
Outside on any of the lakes with the alps surrounding it

Whats that one thing/place/event that stands above all others?
after walking in the rain all day, we stopped in a little pub in Salzburg. We had a great meal and conversation with the owners and locals. We must of looked like vagabonds, but were treated like honored guests.

Favorite country:

Italy - love the people, love the scenery, love the culture, Love the food, love the wine, love the history.

Favorite cities:

London - So much to do ...
Paris - fabulous
Stockholm - beautiful, green, peaceful

What country did you enjoy least? Why? I cannot think of one that I have not liked. I like them all for different reasons.

What hostel/campsite was the best? I really can't remember any that stick out other than af Chapman which is a boat docked off of Skeppsholmen in Stockholm - one of the few hostels that I have stayed at that was right in the center of town. In general, hostels in Scandinavia and Germany are very good.

Where to get married: Santorini, Positano

Favorite bar/club: In my 20s, I thought that any club on the island of Mykonos was a blast. Now I like quieter places with a view.

Any other comments: Have a great trip.

Whats your age group? 55+

Whats your favorite (Europe) country? All of the countries I've visited have been great, but I've spent more time in Italy so that would probably edge it into first place.

City within that country? That's a tough call, but will mention places that aren't cities - Lago di Como (Varenna, Bellagio), Florence, Cinque Terre or Amalfi coast (Positano, Sorrento)

What makes it stick out above all others? From my point of view, the natural beauty of those areas, the history and just the fact they each seemed "special".

What country did you enjoy least? Why? Each of the countries I visited had their own unique charms, so I can't say that I enjoyed any of them "the least".

What hostel/campsite was the best? I DON'T camp, but two Hostels I enjoyed were Allesandro Palace in Rome and the HI Hostel in Locarno, Switzerland (I used budget hotels for my other stops).

Continued in my next post - the functionality of this message board leaves a lot to be desired!!!

Favorite bar/pub/club? I didn't visit many Bars or Clubs when I was in Europe, but the Bar in Allesandro Palace was interesting. I just returned from Ireland, and really had a great time in Gogarty's Pub in the Temple Bar area.

If you were to get married (again) where would it be? Getting married again, what a frightening thought! If I was considering a wedding in Europe, I'd consider either Lago di Como or the Amalfi Coast.

Whats that one thing/place/event that stands above all others? One place that I found unique and would like to return to is the small mountain village of Gimmelwald (one of Rick's favourites). That's also one of my "special events" as I went Paragliding there. The other special event was a Segway Tour of Paris.

Any other comments: Not that I can think of at the moment.

Happy travels!

My favorite country for being a tourist was GERMANY. Because Germany is beautiful, with great places for sightseeing - castles at the Rhine, ...and excellent trains that go everywhere, and great people !
My second favorite country in Europe is Norway and Sweden (think of it as one country) because I loved the people there. After you do much traveling and sightseeing in Europe, I recommend go to an island of Greece, such as Naxos (in the Cyclades islands group at the Aegean Sea) for a week or longer, to rest. There are campsites at a beach on the island Naxos. Many backpackers who camped at a beach on Naxos did not want to leave, ever. As for Italy, don't try to see everything. I travelled in Italy for ten days, I feel that I saw enough of Italy. I am glad that I went to Italy, but I do not desire to go there again. And, many American tourists are in Italy. When I am in Europe, I Want to meet Europeans, not hundreds of American tourists.

Whats your age group? 29

Whats your favorite (Europe) country? Pretty much only stayed in one city(the biggest usually...paris, london, munich) in each country so didn't get an overall feel for the entire country.

What city did you enjoy least? London. Too crowded and polluted and noisy but still great. Everything on the trip was great just some better than others.

What hostel/campsite was the best? Mije in Paris was nice. There is a thin line between nice/pricy hostels and cheaper hotels.

Whats that one thing/place/event that stands above all others? Like others on this list I loved Gimmelwald in the Swiss Alps. Any nature lover would have to put that at the top of their Europe list. I also liked Paris. Like you said, it comes down to each person.

Whats your age group? 23

Whats your favorite (Europe) country?
Italy, UK

City within that country?
Venice, London

What makes it stick out above all others?
V=SO romantic!
L= I <3 theatre

What country did you enjoy least? Why?
Athens,Greece= bad timing aug/sept, we were too hot to enjoy it, go when it's cooler but the Islands at that time were great! if you do an overnight ferry it's worth it to upgrade to a room, trust.

What hostel was the best?
Athens Backpackers (rooftop bar) :o)
Funny Palace in Rome is right near Termini and the owner makes great food/sightseeing suggestions but there is only 1 shower for the whole floor so you wait sometimes unless you're crafty
Happy Inn Lodge is just great overall, no kitchen, loads of help with activities
Hello BCN in Barcelona is great, they have a bar and good breakfast and rooms are nice, great showers

Whats that one thing/place/event that stands above all others?

Pidgeons in San Marco Venice, haha <3 fun

My husband and I are both 39.

Our favorite countries are Greece & England.

City within that country? Greece-Nafplion; England-London's Soho district - for the Indian food!

What makes it stick out above all others? Not sure - just love Greece and England. They're very different but equally enjoyable! Maybe that's why the English love Greece so much?

What country did you enjoy least? I really have enjoyed all the countries we've visited! We're looking forward to Italy & Greece in June '08.

What hostel/campsite was the best? Haven't stayed at a hostel but this June, due to the Euro, we are considering it! I've read there is a decent one in Rome?

Favorite bar/pub/club? The many beachfront tavernas in Greece - love it! Also, the Red Lion in London's Soho. :)

If you were to get married (again) where would it be? Santorini!

Whats that one thing/place/event that stands above all others?
The ferry ride entering Santorini's caldera. I can't put it into words. Also Brugge, Belgium - A wonderful and easy side-trip from Amsterdam.

Whats your age group?

mid 40's

Whats your favorite (Europe) country?

While I haven't really covered a particular country entirely but I'll say Austria, Germany (Bavaria), Dolomite region of Italy and Switzerland.

City within that country?

While I prefer villages, Id pick Salzburg, Austria and Brixen/Bressanone in Italy (Sud Tirol) as near the top, in my opinion.

What makes it stick out above all others?

Very walkable old towns with loads of old world charm.

What country did you enjoy least? Why?

None of the 4 I listed above. Loved the all so far.

Whats that one thing/place/event that stands above all others?

The friendliness of the people we have encountered on our trips.
Places, it's very hard to pick just one. Seeing our first sunrise in Wengen, Switzerland and our first glimpses of the Dolomites come to mind.

Any other comments:

Travelling is addictive! Stay in Pensions and Guesthouses and don't be afraid to talk with people. So many great memories.

Paul